No one was more surprised by Phil Mickelson’s decision to use a belly putter at the Deutsche Bank Championship than Dave Stockton Sr., the left-hander’s putting coach.
“I fainted,” Stockton said, smiling on Tuesday.
After the putting guru picked himself up off the metaphorical floor, the 10-time PGA Tour winner had a belly putter built for himself so he could see what all the excitement was about. After a few days at Mickelson’s Southern California home last week Stockton said he expects Lefty to “finish the year” with the belly putter, that includes this week’s BMW Championship.
“I told Phil, ‘Make sure you keep your routine good,’” Stockton said. “For Phil, it’s totally changing what he’s doing. His lines look much better to me. He’s simplified it. He knows the ball is going to come off the same way every time, whether or not he’s practiced enough to get the feel is the only question.”